


A Late Night Drink

by Thatonegothynerd



Series: Adventures of The Scarred [5]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Angst, Drunkenness, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, Emotional Hurt, Past Relationship(s), Self-Hatred, Tieflings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:13:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatonegothynerd/pseuds/Thatonegothynerd
Summary: After the ball at the Haventree estate, Avarice is having trouble sleeping. The memory of Vasily is haunting her after talking to a spy called The Songbird that seemed to be able to read her every thought. She wants nothing more than a drink, but her friends want her to stay sober.





	A Late Night Drink

Avarice listened carefully to the sound of Dragomir’s soft, steady breathing. He had been asleep for almost an hour now, but she had to be sure her departure wouldn’t wake him. She carefully slipped from his arms, leaving their bed, and made sure to avoid creaky floorboards on her way out the door. She didn’t want him to know about this nighttime foray. He would be furious if he found out that not only was she leaving by herself in the middle of the night without telling anyone, but that she was leaving with the intention of breaking her promise to stay sober. She wanted to forget today.

Not all of today, her dance with Dragomir would stay with her forever. They had swayed under the chandeliers in elegant clothing and she truly felt like a princess.  Dragomir wasn’t a skilled dancer, and came very close to stepping on her toes more than once, but it was wonderful nonetheless. When he had stopped for a moment to kiss her, it was one of the happiest moments in her life. The knight and the princess at a royal ball, it was something out of a fairytale.

Those moments lingered with her, but underneath she felt the weight of the Songbird’s words. She talked so much about Vasily because she knew it would hurt her. The Songbird looked at her and told her exactly what she needed to to make Avarice feel pain.She had talked about how she had slept with him, and how he never would have loved Avarice because she was beneath him. Avarice had thought these things before, but now someone had confirmed they were true. She also felt the weight of what Immerel had said. It was her fault. She was supposed to watch the Songbird, but she got away because Avarice couldn’t keep sight of her. It was all just too much. She needed a drink. 

She made her way downstairs and towards the bar, taking out her purse. 

“No. Sorry, I’m under strict orders not to serve you,” the barkeep gave her a stern look. 

Avarice took out 20 gold coins and set them on the counter, pushing them towards the man. He pushed them back. 

“I’m a man of my word.” 

Avarice glared at him and stood up. 

“Fine. There’s plenty of other places that will serve me.”

As she turned to leave, Avarice spied Millicent sitting just a few tables away in the mostly empty pub. 

“I thought you would be asleep,” Avarice said. The other girl didn’t respond. “How did you know I’d come down here?”

“Because you had a hard day and I know you,” Millicent replied in her usual deadpan.

“Don’t tell him. I don’t care if you know, but I don’t want him to have to deal with this Mil. He deserves better.” Millicent didn’t respond to her request. She simply watched her. 

Avarice sighed and turned to leave as Millicent stood up. Avarice knew she wouldn’t get a drink anywhere if Millicent was following, so she quickly slipped out the door and while Millicent was catching up, she changed her appearance and dashed into a nearby alley. Millicent could look her dead in the face and never know it was her now. She silently thanked the gods that she had kept Kel’s hat. 

The disguised tiefling walked for a couple of blocks before she found somewhere that was still open and serving drinks. The inside of the establishment was well worn, but clean. A sign boasted, “Best meat pies in the district!” and it was empty besides a figure at the far end of the bar and the barkeep. Avarice didn’t look at what pies they offered, or even at what the establishment was called, she just went directly towards the bar. By now she had changed back to her real face. She saw no point in hiding tonight. 

“What can I get you?” the barkeep asked, looking a little lower than her face. 

“Whatever’s strong.”

“You sure about that? I have some lovely ales that-”

“Strong. Drink.” Avarice wasn’t in the mood to haggle and play games. She just wanted to forget. 

“Of course,” the barkeep said and retrieved a bottle of something off to the side. He pulled out a glass and poured some in, then moved to put it away. 

“I’ll take the whole bottle,” Avarice said, picking up her glass.

“This stuff isn’t cheap and I definitely don’t think anyone should drink the entire-”

Avarice cut him off again by setting the 20 gold from earlier on the counter. The bar keep set the bottle down and retrieved the coins, taking them off to the side of the bar to count. 

Avarice downed the contents of her glass and felt… nothing. There was no effect. The terrible thoughts were still there. Normally liquor that burned that bad at least turned her vision slightly rosy, but now it did nothing. She looked down and laughed without humor. It was the damn necklace. It was supposed to keep her safer, protect her from poisons and other dangers. It wasn’t going to protect her from herself. She poured herself another glass and drank. And then another. And another. The alcohol finally started to make an effect, but it wasn’t the one she had hoped for. Avarice broke down at the bar. She felt one tear slide down her cheek and suddenly they were an avalanche. She couldn’t stop sobs from making their way up her throat as she cried. The normally numbing effect brought on by drunkenness had backfired and she was remembering everything. Everything about Vasily. She remembered every dance in the garden, every late night conversation, every pretty present, and every shared kiss. For the first time since his death, Avarice truly let herself grieve for the man that she spent ten years loving, despite the fact that he was a monster.

It was in the midst of those tears that Avarice heard a laugh from the end of the bar and all of them dried up. The cloaked figure at the end of the bar stood up and approached her. She knew exactly who it was. 

“Oh. It’s you. Come to sing me a song?”

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to their respective players. I do not claim to own Dragomir, Millicent, or The Songbird.


End file.
